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UCLA guard Jordan Adams, left, gets a layup on San Diego State Saturday night in their 78-69 loss.
ROD VEAL, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
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Aztecs send Bruins into twilight zone, 78-69
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Aztecs send Bruins into twilight zone, 78-69
Aztecs send Bruins into twilight zone, 78-69
20 Photos »
Aztecs send Bruins into twilight zone, 78-69
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Published: Dec. 1, 2012 Updated: 11:12 p.m.
ANAHEIM – Conquered from the north and now the south, UCLA must feel a bit under siege these days.
Seven days after their shocking loss to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the Bruins were defeated by another intra-state upstart Saturday night, in the game named in honor of the program's coach. No. 23 San Diego State pulled away in the second half and won, 78-69, in the John R. Wooden Classic in front of 17,204 at Honda Center.
UCLA went 26,292 days without losing to San Diego State in basketball - the Bruins had been 8-0 against the Aztecs since 1940 - but there were few surprises as UCLA (5-3) lost for the third time in five games.
The Bruins are down to seven scholarship players, have limited depth in the post and lacked a consistent go-to player on offense. Their newly embraced 2-3 zone defense, while effective at times, got torched in the second half when the talented Aztecs (5-1) made 6 of their 12 attempts from 3-point range.
"Our zone really got tortured by their 3-point shooting," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "We had some miscommunication and breakdowns in our zone."
UCLA led, 43-41, just under five minutes into the second half, but the Aztecs got consecutive 3-pointers from Xavier Thames and Jamaal Franklin and never trailed again. UCLA pulled to three points behind with a mini-run midway through the half, but San Diego State responded with an 11-2 run and led, 67-55.
The Aztecs, who led at halftime, 31-29, shot 60 percent from the field in the second half - Franklin scored 21 of his game-high 28 points in the second half - and shot 11-for-27 from 3-point range for the game. That statistic, more than anything, points to UCLA's problem going forward.
Howland doesn't particularly like playing zone defense but feels as though he doesn't have much of a choice. Without injured forward Tony Parker (sprained ankle), UCLA had to use a seven-man rotation and had only two true post players in brothers David and Travis Wear.
The zone was used to conserve a bit of energy and try to keep the ball on the perimeter.
It worked fine early, when the Aztecs missed five or their first six shots from 3-point range, but eventually many of San Diego State's open looks went in.
The Aztecs took half of their 54 shots from 3-point range, and Thames (19 points) made 5 of 6 shots from beyond the arc.
Adams led UCLA with 23 points, but no Bruin had a dominant full game. Norman Powell (10 points) made a couple of big shots early but then fell quiet, and Adams scored nine of his points in the first three minutes of the second half after only a five-point first half.
Shabazz Muhammad (16 points) had his moments, including a five-point burst in the first half, at a time when the Aztecs led by six and were threatening to pull away. However, Muhammad - still playing his way into game shape - was less of a factor in the second half. UCLA shot 42.2 percent from the field.
Seven days after their shocking loss to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the Bruins were defeated by another intra-state upstart Saturday night, in the game named in honor of the program's coach. No. 23 San Diego State pulled away in the second half and won, 78-69, in the John R. Wooden Classic in front of 17,204 at Honda Center.
San Diego State's Chase Tapley, left, tries to control the ball after popping it loose from UCLA's Jordan Adams Saturday night at the Honda Center. Aztecs' JJ O'Brien, right, looks on.ROD VEAL, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER MORE PHOTOS »
The Bruins are down to seven scholarship players, have limited depth in the post and lacked a consistent go-to player on offense. Their newly embraced 2-3 zone defense, while effective at times, got torched in the second half when the talented Aztecs (5-1) made 6 of their 12 attempts from 3-point range.
"Our zone really got tortured by their 3-point shooting," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "We had some miscommunication and breakdowns in our zone."
UCLA led, 43-41, just under five minutes into the second half, but the Aztecs got consecutive 3-pointers from Xavier Thames and Jamaal Franklin and never trailed again. UCLA pulled to three points behind with a mini-run midway through the half, but San Diego State responded with an 11-2 run and led, 67-55.
The Aztecs, who led at halftime, 31-29, shot 60 percent from the field in the second half - Franklin scored 21 of his game-high 28 points in the second half - and shot 11-for-27 from 3-point range for the game. That statistic, more than anything, points to UCLA's problem going forward.
Howland doesn't particularly like playing zone defense but feels as though he doesn't have much of a choice. Without injured forward Tony Parker (sprained ankle), UCLA had to use a seven-man rotation and had only two true post players in brothers David and Travis Wear.
The zone was used to conserve a bit of energy and try to keep the ball on the perimeter.
It worked fine early, when the Aztecs missed five or their first six shots from 3-point range, but eventually many of San Diego State's open looks went in.
The Aztecs took half of their 54 shots from 3-point range, and Thames (19 points) made 5 of 6 shots from beyond the arc.
Adams led UCLA with 23 points, but no Bruin had a dominant full game. Norman Powell (10 points) made a couple of big shots early but then fell quiet, and Adams scored nine of his points in the first three minutes of the second half after only a five-point first half.
Shabazz Muhammad (16 points) had his moments, including a five-point burst in the first half, at a time when the Aztecs led by six and were threatening to pull away. However, Muhammad - still playing his way into game shape - was less of a factor in the second half. UCLA shot 42.2 percent from the field.
By CHRIS NGUYEN
The Daily Bruin
Published December 2, 2012, 2:54 am in Men's BasketballSports
San Diego State ran the show on and off the court at the John Wooden Classic on Saturday night.
The raucous Aztec student section, known as The Show, helped propel its team to a 78-69 win tonight over UCLA at the Honda Center in Anaheim.
The Show, and the rest of the SDSU fans, vastly outnumbered those clad in Bruin blue and gold and created a deafening atmosphere.
“I’m very, very, very proud first off with our crowd,” SDSU coach Steve Fisher said. “They have allowed us to grow our program and they displayed that tonight. Our alums and our students have something to cheer about and they are in mass, in force and doing just that.”
In a game meant to honor the legendary UCLA coach, the Bruins faced a hostile environment.
“It was like playing a road game in a white jersey, which you don’t do too often,” UCLA coach Ben Howland said.
With Saturday night’s win over the Bruins, the Aztecs have now won 26 consecutive games against California teams – strong evidence to support their claim as the state’s top team.
But even after losing to SDSU, which has been to two more NCAA tournaments than UCLA in the past three years, Howland declined to put the Aztecs at the top of the California totem pole.
When asked if SDSU was the best program in the state, Howland said coyly, “That’s a big statement to make.”
The game remained close throughout the first half, with seven lead changes, before the Bruins headed into the halftime tunnels down by two points.
After establishing and holding a narrow lead in the first two minutes of the second half, SDSU roared back emphatically. The Aztecs broke down the Bruin zone defense, hitting 6 of 12 three pointers in the second half.
UCLA responded by switching to man-to-man defense, which SDSU also exposed weaknesses in on its way to building a 12-point lead with about six and a half minutes to play.
“Our zone got tortured by by their three-point shooting,” Howland said. “We had miscommunications and breakdowns in our responsibilities in zone.
“We went to man just to try and switch things up because we weren’t getting any stops in our zone. … (Aztec junior guard Xavier) Thames got two wide open threes and it was a simple mistake that we can’t afford to make. But they did a good job attacking our man and our zone in the second half.”
Thames would finish the night missing only a single attempt from behind the arc en route to scoring 19 points.
The Bruins came back to bring the game within five with two minutes to play, but the hole they had dug was too deep, as the Aztecs nailed 9 of 10 free throws down that stretch to put the game out of reach.
Howland admitted that SDSU’s energetic squad was able to win most of the loose, 50/50 balls in the second half.
It didn’t help that the Bruins only had a seven-man rotation. Freshman center Tony Parker did not dress out for the game and sat in sweats on the bench after spraining his ankle against Cal State Northridge on Wednesday.
Even highly-touted freshman guard Shabazz Muhammad couldn’t save the day for the Bruins, as he is still working to get into game shape after missing the first three games of the season.
“I’m not really comfortable out there still,” Muhammad said. “I’ve been losing a lot of weight and running a lot so I’m just continuing to do that.”
Muhammad and freshman guard Jordan Adams led the Bruins offensively, together scoring 39 of the team’s 69 points, but Aztec junior forward Jamaal Franklin led all scorers with 28 points.
When asked about the matchup against UCLA and its highly-touted freshman class, Franklin said, “A lot of bigger schools are always worrying about draft stock. … Us, we just want to worry about winning.”
That focus has paid off for the Aztecs.
When asked if he believed SDSU to be the best program in California, Franklin didn’t shy away from the question.
“Yes,” he said. “I feel like we did a lot to earn that respect from a lot of California teams.”
San Diego State beats UCLA, stakes claim to the title of California’s best team
By Jeff Eisenberg | The Dagger – 22 hours ago
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Jamaal Franklin and Skylar Spencer (US Presswire) |
ANAHEIM — As the final seconds melted away in San Diego State's 78-69 victory over UCLA on Saturday night, the Aztecs' irreverent student section delighted in taking one final parting shot at their neighbors to the north.
"We run Cali," the students chanted over and over again.
A statement that would've seemed ludicrous when Steve Fisher took over a program coming off 13 losing seasons in 14 years now is nearly undeniable. The Aztecs have earned the right to call themselves the best college basketball team in California after 26 consecutive wins over in-state foes including a pair of victories apiece over Cal, USC and Long Beach State.
That it was no surprise San Diego State added UCLA to its list of in-state victims is a testament to the trajectory of both programs these days.
UCLA, the school with 11 national championships, has missed the NCAA tournament two of the past three seasons and likely needs to land a bid this season just to save head coach Ben Howland's job. San Diego State, the school that had never won an NCAA tournament game prior to 2010, boasts a top 25 ranking, a 5-1 record and the swagger of a program that expects to beat high-profile opponents.
"I feel we are the best [in California] right now," San Diego State junior guard Jamaal Franklin said. "I'm not saying we're the best forever because there are a lot of good teams out there. UCLA is a good team. USC played us down to the nose at their house. But I feel we did a lot to earn that position right now and we've got to continue. We've got to try to make it 27, 28, 29 and 30."
It was especially meaningful for San Diego State to beat UCLA because the Bruins have never been willing to agree to a series against the Aztecs during Fisher's 15-year tenure. The only reason San Diego State got a shot at UCLA this season was because Honda Center officials were tired of the Wooden Classic being played in front of a half-empty arena and they knew Aztecs fans would eagerly make the 90-minute drive to see their team in a marquee game.
San Diego State fans did not disappoint, much to the delight of Fisher and the dismay of Howland.
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| Shabazz Muhammad and Deshawn Stephens vie for a loose ball (US Presswire) |
About 70 percent of the 17,204 fans at the Wooden Classic wore red and black and rooted against the program the event's namesake coached, an embarrassing scene unlikely to help Howland's case to keep his job. San Diego State's students twisted the knife every chance they got, noting the empty section on the opposite baseline with a "Where's your students?" chant before the game and serenading UCLA players with a "You should transfer" chant during the second half.
Said Fisher, "I was very, very proud of our crowd. They have allowed us to grow our program, and they displayed that tonight."
Said Howland, "They had great crowd support. It was like playing a road game wearing a white jersey, which you don't do too often."
UCLA had an opportunity to send the San Diego State crowd home disappointed thanks mostly to a two-three zone designed to protect the paint and dare the Aztecs to win with jump shots. Since UCLA has only seven healthy scholarship players and lacks sufficient quickness on the perimeter, the purpose of the zone was to hide the Bruins' deficiencies and keep them out of foul trouble.
San Diego State missed seven of its first eight 3-pointers and scored only 13 points in the game's first 13 minutes, but the Aztecs eventually caught fire from the perimeter. Xavier Thames sank 5 of 6 from behind the arc and San Diego State buried 10 of its last 19 3-point attempts, prompting Howland to temporarily abandon the zone with nine minutes to go and UCLA trailing 56-53.
That proved to be a mistake, however, because it allowed San Diego State to finally exploit its quickness advantage on the perimeter. Though the Bruins got a defensive stop on their first possession in man-to-man, they surrendered 11 points in the next five possessions set up mostly by Thames or Franklin attacking the rim.
"We went man to try to switch things up because we weren't getting stops in that zone," Howland said. "We made a couple mistakes where the ball was at the wing and our guard didn't come up and take away the pass to the point. Thames got to wide-open threes."
By the time UCLA switched back to zone, San Diego State led 67-55 and the Aztec coronation had begun.
Franklin led all scorers, finishing with 28 points on 9 of 18 shooting and out-playing more highly touted wing recruits like Shabazz Muhammad and Kyle Anderson. Freshman Jordan Adams again led UCLA in scoring with 23 points, while Muhammad had 16.
During his postgame press conference, Howland was asked to assess whether San Diego State's in-state winning streak merited the title of California's best team. He praised the job Fisher has done but essentially dodged the question, responding "That's quite a big statement. There's a lot of good teams in the state."
What even Howland would have to admit is the Aztecs have eclipsed UCLA at this time.
They out-draw UCLA nightly. They beat the Bruins for four-star recruit Dakarai Allen over the summer. And now they own a head-to-head win over UCLA in the first meeting between the programs in two decades.
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Bruins fall to Aztecs, 78-69, at John R. Wooden Classic
San Diego State pulls away from UCLA and ends an eight-game losing streak to the Bruins.
By Baxter Holmes
The Los Angeles Times
December 2, 2012
But the Bruins entered Anaheim's Honda Center on Saturday to find themselves hated villains.
San Diego State fans bathed the arena in red, flooding its lower levels, swamping its nosebleed seats.
Its student section stood and roared throughout; the rest of its faithful screamed, pumping fists.
It marked the first time these freshmen-laden Bruins faced a ranked foe — the Aztecs were No. 23 — and the first time they played in any environment where the crowd was heavily against them.
UCLA failed these tests, losing 78-69 before 17,204 in the John R. Wooden Classic.
"It was hard to play out there," said UCLA's Shabazz Muhammad, who had 16 points. "The crowd was a rough thing."
The Bruins (5-3) played zone defense for most of the game, and it worked to slow the Aztecs early.
But late, San Diego State (5-1) attacked the zone's main weakness: the three-point line.
And after hitting six of 12 shots from beyond the arc in the second half, the Aztecs pulled away.
"Our zone really got tortured," UCLA Coach Ben Howland said.
The Bruins did switch back to Howland's preferred defense — man-to-man — late, but it didn't work.
After runs of 8-0 and 11-2, the Aztecs had a double-digit lead, and UCLA was on life support.
Then, with 5 minutes 1 second left, Jamaal Franklin stole the ball from Muhammad and sprinted to a thunderous one-handed dunk that slammed the door shut on UCLA's chances.
Franklin had 28 to lead the Aztecs, and Xavier Thames added 19. Jordan Adams had 23 to lead UCLA.
A "We Run CALI" sign was held aloft in the Aztecs student section, and its true: The Aztecs have won a national-best 26 consecutive games against teams from this state.
"We are the best right now," Franklin said.
Howland, who said those numbers were impressive, didn't exactly agree.
"That's quite a big statement," he said. "There's a lot of good teams in the state."
For UCLA, a sour week that began with a loss to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and continued with two players leaving the team ended on the same sour note.
An upset win could have helped the Bruins rebound from a dysfunctional start to the season that saw them fall from No. 11 in the Associated Press poll to unranked after the Cal Poly loss.
Instead, it only served as a reminder of how far UCLA has to go.
Muhammad himself said his conditioning is far from where it needs to be.
"I'm not really comfortable out there still," he said.
San Diego State Coach Steve Fisher called UCLA a "very good team, a young team that will continue to get better."
Bruins fans can only hope.
baxter.holmes@latimes.com
twitter.com/BaxterHolmes
Rapid Reaction: San Diego St. 78, UCLA 69
By Peter Yoon | ESPNLosAngeles.com
9:43 PM PT
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- No. 23 San Diego State defeated UCLA 78-69 on Saturday night in the Wooden Classic at the Honda Center in Anaheim. The Bruins fell to 5-3 on the season. A quick breakdown:
How it happened: Jamaal Franklin scored nine of his 28 points in the final five minutes, including seven of eight free throws in the final 1:38 to seal the victory for the Aztecs.
The Aztecs seemed to be pulling away with a 69-58 lead and 3:52 to play, but UCLA would not go quietly, as the Bruins got to within five points at 69-64 with 2:03 to go when Shabazz Muhammad made two baskets and Jordan Adams made another.
An Adams 3-pointer with 59 seconds to go made it 73-67, but Franklin kept hitting his free throws and kept UCLA at arm's length.
The teams battled back and forth most of the game, and it was 56-53 with 9:12 to play when the Aztecs went on an 11-2 run to take control.
San Diego State used a streak of hot outside shooting late in the first half, draining three of four 3-pointers during a two-minute span, to open a 24-18 lead -- the biggest lead by either team in the first half.
Muhammad scored five consecutive points to get the Bruins back to within a point, but the Bruins could not reclaim the lead and trailed 31-29 at halftime.
Player of the game: Franklin lived up to his billing as one of the nation's premier guards. The 6-foot-5 junior made nine of 18 shots, and added seven rebounds, three assists and two steals in addition to extending his streak of double-digit scoring to 27 consecutive games.
Stat of the game: San Diego State made only one of its first nine 3-point attempts as UCLA's zone defense proved effective, but the Aztecs then got hot and made 10 of their last 18 from long range.
What it means: UCLA is a work in progress. The Bruins looked good at times and Muhammad seemed to take a step forward in his adjustment to the Division I level, but the Bruins, playing three freshmen for major minutes, simply don't have the experience or leadership to pull through tough games against good teams. The Bruins have potential but still have a long way to go before they will be competing for anything big this season.
What's next: UCLA plays an exhibition game Tuesday against Cal State San Marcos at 7:30 p.m. at Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins travel to Houston for a game against Texas at Reliant Stadium next Saturday.
Sure could have used Josh and Tyler tonight. Same goes for Tony. Let's go, Bruins!
The Box c/o Yahoo!Sports.com
How it happened: Jamaal Franklin scored nine of his 28 points in the final five minutes, including seven of eight free throws in the final 1:38 to seal the victory for the Aztecs.
The Aztecs seemed to be pulling away with a 69-58 lead and 3:52 to play, but UCLA would not go quietly, as the Bruins got to within five points at 69-64 with 2:03 to go when Shabazz Muhammad made two baskets and Jordan Adams made another.
An Adams 3-pointer with 59 seconds to go made it 73-67, but Franklin kept hitting his free throws and kept UCLA at arm's length.
The teams battled back and forth most of the game, and it was 56-53 with 9:12 to play when the Aztecs went on an 11-2 run to take control.
San Diego State used a streak of hot outside shooting late in the first half, draining three of four 3-pointers during a two-minute span, to open a 24-18 lead -- the biggest lead by either team in the first half.
Muhammad scored five consecutive points to get the Bruins back to within a point, but the Bruins could not reclaim the lead and trailed 31-29 at halftime.
Player of the game: Franklin lived up to his billing as one of the nation's premier guards. The 6-foot-5 junior made nine of 18 shots, and added seven rebounds, three assists and two steals in addition to extending his streak of double-digit scoring to 27 consecutive games.
Stat of the game: San Diego State made only one of its first nine 3-point attempts as UCLA's zone defense proved effective, but the Aztecs then got hot and made 10 of their last 18 from long range.
What it means: UCLA is a work in progress. The Bruins looked good at times and Muhammad seemed to take a step forward in his adjustment to the Division I level, but the Bruins, playing three freshmen for major minutes, simply don't have the experience or leadership to pull through tough games against good teams. The Bruins have potential but still have a long way to go before they will be competing for anything big this season.
What's next: UCLA plays an exhibition game Tuesday against Cal State San Marcos at 7:30 p.m. at Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins travel to Houston for a game against Texas at Reliant Stadium next Saturday.
Sure could have used Josh and Tyler tonight. Same goes for Tony. Let's go, Bruins!
The Box c/o Yahoo!Sports.com
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